Brokenhearted Beauty [Divine Creek Ranch 19] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Heather Rainier

  He turned his head and looked at his daughters inside the house. “I wasn’t a good example for handling grief to either of my girls. I kept it inside…poured all of my time into my business, which included a number of retail stores by that point. It was easier for Leah because she and I had that in common. Her grades in college were stellar. The girls had always been polar opposites, fighting constantly since they were little. Their mother and I had hoped they’d outgrow that as they grew up but it seemed to only get worse. After my wife’s death, I was at a total loss as to what I could do. Then, before I knew it, they were adults. I tried with Presley Ann…but I think the best changes have happened since this baby came into her life.”

  Vincent made eye contact with James across the circle of their chairs. They’d know soon if Leah was expecting or not. The timing wasn’t great but in his heart, he wouldn’t mind if she was and Vincent had privately confessed the same thing to him. But their main concern was making Leah happy in her new life with them. Until they knew how she felt about the situation, they kept their feelings to themselves.

  Drawing them back to the conversation, Doug said, “Leah told me that she’s been in love with the two of you for a while, and before his passing, she loved your brother, too. I know it’s late but I’m sorry for your loss. I’m also sorry for the lost opportunity between the four of you. I’m afraid my poor example may have somehow played a part in her regrets over not taking that leap of faith. I confess to being a workaholic and I probably influenced her in developing those habits.”

  “It’s nothing we won’t be able to overcome, given time. You also taught her a great work ethic, sir,” James said as he raised his beer in salute to her dad.

  The back door opened and Leah and Presley Ann joined them on the porch. Vincent opened his arms and Leah climbed into his lap after looking over at James for his nod. Eventually she’d get used to the ménage dynamic. They all would. Presley Ann sat in the chair next to her father and placed her hand in his when he reached for it.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  Presley Ann smiled and nodded as she stroked her rounded abdomen and said, “Perfect.”

  Doug said, “Leah, if there is anything I can do to help with your wedding plans or preparations, just let me know. Do you think you can have a wedding and reception pulled together in two weeks’ time?”

  “I’m sure I can, Dad. I’m keeping it very simple. I already have several volunteers. Once we set things in motion I may need a little help from you moving rental equipment or helping the girls with decorations. Grace helped plan but she has her hands full with Grant and Rose Marie, so Teresa and Juliana are handling a lot of the orchestrating.” She smiled at James as she snuggled closer and tucked her head under Vincent’s chin. “I can’t wait.”

  “Did Teresa, Angel, and Joaquin get their house squared away?” Doug asked, a slight frown crossing his features. “I heard about what happened to their place. Damn shame to hear of something like that happening in Divine.”

  Leah nodded. “It took a while but yeah, insurance covered all the damage done by those partygoers, and they’re back in it. Teresa had to promise me that she was completely done with it. Otherwise I wouldn’t have let her take time away to help with the wedding. I couldn’t believe how much damage Luka and Matthias allowed to happen to their home. Teresa told me she still hasn’t spoken to them.”

  “Who? Luka and Matthias?” Vincent asked as he stroked her knee. “I haven’t seen them around town in a while.”

  Leah shrugged and cuddled closer to Vincent as he wrapped his arms around her. “They left. I’m not sure where they went. Grace wouldn’t have anything to do with them either. Juliana got wind of it and wanted to kick both of their asses.”

  “Part of me is mad at them on Teresa’s behalf,” Presley Ann said. “But there’s also a part of me that believes they’ve gone wild because they don’t want to grow up. I feel bad for them. They’re like lost boys.”

  “Well,” her dad said. “It’s time they grew up but I guess reality had to hit them in the face first. Teresa’s never struck me as unforgiving and Angel and Joaquin are their brothers. It’ll work out. But I’m glad to hear that their family is settled again. I hope the family reconciles with time.”

  “I’m sure they will, eventually.”

  “Well, girls,” Doug said as he set his empty beer bottle aside. “It’s getting late for this old man and I know you both have work in the morning. Ready to head home, Presley Ann?”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll just get my purse and we can go.”

  After the two of them had departed, Leah said, “I need to tidy up my unpacking mess before bed.”

  James’s heart felt like it was stretching as he nodded, having enjoyed watching her put her pretty things on display…in their home.

  He kissed her cheek, and said, “I’ll clean up the mess around the grill. It won’t take long.”

  Vincent followed him out to retrieve the empty beer bottles from the table on the back porch and then came over by the grill and leaned against the log wall. “Feels like things are really coming together, huh?”

  James nodded as he used the brush on the grill. “Yeah. You anxious to find out if she’s pregnant?”

  Vincent swatted a moth away as he shrugged. “Sometimes, yeah, but mostly I’m just happy she’s here with us and not leaving. I remember seeing her that day in the hospital parking lot and feeling…like she just stole my breath from me. And not being able to hold on to her, having to let her go off to take care of her injured hands and knees. She’s so self-sufficient and I don’t imagine that’ll change but I like that she lets us do for her, a little, anyway.”

  “I know that’s not easy for her. Do you—what’s that noise?” James asked as he and Vincent looked out over the darkening expanse of yard, trying to determine where the thumping sound was coming from.

  Vincent pushed away from the wall. “Maybe it’s Blue.”

  At the mention of his name, Blue lifted his head from a bush below the porch and gave a soft woof before his attention was also drawn by the rapid thumping noise and he ran up the porch steps.

  A high-pitched giggle drew their attention to the house and both men took stealthy steps toward the windows that looked in through the dining room and across the house. James chuckled softly as he watched.

  “What in the hell is she doing?” Vincent said as he gazed at her with an idiotic smile on his face.

  “Look,” James said as she stooped and then suddenly hopped on the hardwood floor. A peal of laughter rang through the window and she began a rapid jogging in place that made her curls bob and her cheeks rosy.

  “I sure like all that bobbing up and down she’s doing.”

  James tried to keep his laughter quiet as they watched. She probably wasn’t aware she was turning on her men with the way her breasts were bobbing with each step, and then she turned in a circle, still gleefully stomping.

  Vincent bit his lower lip. “Damn, I love that little bouncy bubble butt of hers. Makes me want to take a bite. But that doesn’t explain what she’s doing.”

  “The Bubble Wrap. She’s popping the Bubble Wrap.”

  They stood out there for a couple more minutes watching her gleefully pop the bubbles in all the wrappings from the crystal that were scattered on the floor. Now that his ears were attuned, he could even here the snap, crackle, pop as she stomped with uninhibited joy.

  Vincent elbowed him and said, “Now that’s a different girl right there from the one I mentioned earlier.”

  James nodded. “Yeah, she is.”

  “And she’s all ours. Reckon she’d welcome our help?”

  “You just want to get closer while she jiggles.”

  Vincent snorted. “Hell yeah. I’m not stupid, man. If we play our cards right, jiggling could lead to nekkidness, and you know nekkidness leads to hot sex.”

  His hardening cock confirmed the feeling was mutual for James. She’d kept something important to her pack
ed away for a long time, and he was all for closing that chapter and starting a brand-new one with her.

  He followed his brother in the back door, his heart lurching at the unguarded delight shining in her eyes as she looked up at them from across the room.

  * * * *

  August…

  Leah was filled with anticipation as she shifted her “new” old freshly reupholstered and customized pickup into park in the parking lot outside the Dancing Pony. James’s truck and several others she recognized, belonging to the bachelor party crew, were already there.

  “Awesome timing,” Juliana Peterson said as she opened the passenger door, and hopped down, making use of the special handholds James and Vincent had installed for Leah. “I’ve got a man inside who is newly appreciative of life. If I know him as well as I think I do, he’s horny as hell to boot.”

  Laughter surrounded them as Emma Rivers, Maya Warner, Rosemary Garner, and Teresa Martinez exited the vehicle next to them in time to hear Juliana’s remark.

  It was Emma Rivers’s husbands, Duke and Gage who had taken the men skydiving in lieu of a traditional bachelor party complete with strippers, and she said, “I recall feeling the very same way, Juliana, after my first skydiving experience. Peeps are getting laid tonight for sure.”

  The women burst into laughter as they were joined by the others from Leah’s bachelorette party group and they all approached the front door of the club. Their ensemble, which had also included Veronica Stinson, Violet Tyler, owner of Violet’s Emporium, Cassie Resendez, owner of Divine Drip, and local optometrist, Jessica Bright, had visited Madeleine’s for a spa afternoon of relaxation in preparation for the wedding festivities the following day at the Hourglass Inn Bed-and-Breakfast followed by supper at Chantilly’s Steakhouse. Charity Connors had introduced Jessica to Leah when the two of them had come in shopping at Stigall’s and she and Jessica had hit it right off, and her little baby, Bella, was adorable.

  Leading the pack, Rachel Wolf giggled as the front door was opened for them by the nightclub bouncers, Mike and Rogelio, who welcomed them into the club and directed them to their regular tables at the opposite end of the bar.

  “Most of the men are waiting for you there,” Rogelio said quietly before giving Rachel a grin and hugging her. Leah had never heard him say so many words in a row.

  “Thank you, guys,” Rachel said as she gave Mike a hug, too, and then continued on into the club, her eyes obviously searching for the tallest man in the establishment. At six feet nine inches, Eli Wolf, was notable not only for his height and gentle giant demeanor, but also for his obvious devotion to his wife.

  Like a magnet to steel, Leah was drawn to James and Vincent, who were standing and talking to Adam Davis and Jack Warner. Grace walked with her and Leah laughed at Grace’s growl as she admired her men.

  “Damn! Two fine Wrangler butts to tempt me. Wonder if they enjoyed skydiving as much as Emma suggested they would.”

  “How long until Emma releases you?”

  “Two weeks, damn it. But that doesn’t mean I can’t play,” Grace said with a wink before she neatly slid between her men.

  Deviltry sparkled in James’s eyes as he hugged and kissed her and then passed her to his brother. Similar reunions took place all around them, and the men made sure to help the single ladies into chairs at the table.

  “You smell sexy, fluff,” Vincent said as he kissed her neck. “Feel good?”

  “Yes, very. How about you? Glad to be alive?” she asked, unable to hold back her giggles as she tried to picture her men jumping headfirst out of a perfectly good airplane.

  All four men began to laugh and Jack finally spoke for all four of them. “Let’s just say what happens in the airplane stays in the airplane.”

  Grace asked, “Did you all jump?”

  “Oh, yeah, we all jumped, darlin’, but a couple of us needed stronger motivation than merely seizing the day.”

  Leah’s curiosity was answered moments later when Rosemary Garner burst into laughter and leaped into her husband Evan’s arms and squealed, “Aw! You’re so sweet!”

  “What’s that all about?” Grace asked as everyone started talking over each other.

  Jack leaned into their smaller group and said, “Looks like Evan told on himself so I’ll share. We got up there and all of us were doing fine…until they slid the door open and reality set in. Evan’s nerves got the better of him.”

  “But you said everyone jumped,” Grace replied, confusion showing on her face.

  “Oh, he jumped all right. He was one of the first to jump, in fact.”

  “First?” Leah asked in surprise. That didn’t sound like the behavior of a man having second thoughts on his first skydive.

  “Yup. Eli got a hold of him, told him something that made him grin real big, Evan nodded, and Eli threw him bodily out of the plane and then jumped right after him.”

  Grace and Leah’s jaws both dropped in surprise. “There’s got to be more to it than that.”

  Adam nodded as he laughed. “We found out once we were all on the ground what Eli told him. Turns out Eli was scared shitless, too, even before they opened the doors. The only way he could make himself do it was to imagine Rachel waiting naked for him just outside the doors. Turns out imagining Rosemary did the trick for Evan. And he asked Eli to throw him since he wasn’t sure he could take that last step without a little help.”

  Grace and Leah laughed and Grace said, “It’s good to have friends you can rely on to keep you from chickening out, right? How about you guys? Did you need similar motivation?”

  All four men instantaneously shook their heads and frowned negatively. “No, no, no. No trouble here. Jumped right out,” Jack said a little too quickly.

  Adam nodded wisely. “Yup, it was awesome. I was totally up for the challenge.”

  James fist bumped with Vincent and said, “Total freedom, jumping from that plane, honey. Best feeling ever.”

  Vincent nodded and then made a sudden slashing motion across his throat as Duke Rivers, one of the resident skydiving veterans, and Emma’s husband, joined their group.

  Grace smiled at Duke expectantly but all he did was chuckle and say, “I’m the picture of discretion, ladies. Your men were valiant to the end, landing on both feet with bladder and stomach still intact.”

  He patted Jack on the back and Leah noted the relief on the men’s faces as he stepped back to head to the bar. He winked at the girls and put his hands in his armpits and flapped like a chicken as he walked away.

  Grace and Leah laughed but didn’t say another word, except to extol their bravery. The men had originally wanted to make the outing a coed endeavor but the ladies had all been united in giving them a big “hell no.”

  “I hear Duke and Gage go skydiving on a regular basis,” Leah said. “Are you all planning on going with them again sometime?”

  All four men coughed and shook their heads and Vincent said, “Hell no. Nope. Once was enough for this fool.”

  With her arms around their waists, Leah hugged them both and said, “I think you were very brave.”

  Grace’s attention was drawn to the club entry. She tapped Leah and pointed. Leah was pleasantly surprised when she saw Presley Ann, and then shocked when she saw who Presley Ann walked in with, chatting like pals.

  “Am I seeing right?” Leah asked, blinking her eyes even as she smiled and waved at her sister…and Lydia Carlisle and her husbands, Chance and Clayton.

  Grace grinned and waved, too, and quietly said to herself, “Good for you, girl. That took guts.”

  The four of them joined the group. At first, several of the girls, and even some of the guys seemed surprised but they quickly got over it. If Lydia was fine with Presley Ann being among their group, that was all that mattered. Leah beckoned to her and Presley Ann came over and hugged her and seemed to relax right away.

  “How was work?” Leah asked. She’d tried to get Presley Ann to come with them to the spa but her sister had turned her
down, unwilling to take the time off or to spend the extra money and refusing to receive it as a gift from her sister. Leah had pressed her and Presley Ann had finally told her that indulging herself like that was a slippery slope and she didn’t need the temptation that a spa day represented. Every spare penny went into savings and that was that. Leah could respect that.

  “The store was really busy but everything was fine, otherwise, so you don’t need to worry. I ran into several of your friends who were shopping for the wedding and made lots of sales.”

  “Did you run into Lydia and her men there?”

  Presley Ann shook her head with a grin. “No. I reached out to her several days ago. I knew with the wedding fast approaching that she and I would be around each other a lot. I didn’t want for things to be uncomfortable for everybody. I’ve wanted to talk to her for months now and I finally screwed up my courage and just called her, to apologize for the idiotic way I acted a few years ago. She was gracious and invited me out to the ranch and we talked for a long time. She and her men came by and picked me up from my apartment tonight and they’ll be taking me home, too. She thought it might be less distracting for everyone tomorrow if they saw that we had made friends beforehand. Judging by the way everyone’s jaw dropped when we walked in, she was right,” she added with a grin.

  “You sure shocked me, sis,” Leah replied. “I’m happy though.” Presley Ann smiled at her and she could see in her eyes that a burden had been lifted. She felt a little guilty that she hadn’t done more to facilitate that reconciliation, since it was her wedding that was bringing them together in close proximity. In the rush to put the wedding together, she’d forgotten that there had been enmity between them for a long time.

  “I’ll be damned,” James said, mild surprise also showing on his face as his attention was drawn to the front again. “I’ll be right back, honey.” He nudged Vincent and the two of them headed to the front and that was when Leah spotted who had just walked in the door.